The Walking Dead: Redux
by Isiliahs
Summary: After the prison fell, our heroes were separated into different groups. But what if the groups were split differently? What if certain characters meet before they did in the show? In this AU, relive the journey to Terminus with different groups. More in-depth description in the first chapter. Also, no promises on what pairings will happen in this AU.
1. Background Information

Background information: Just to be clear, this AU will follow the show up until Too Far Gone. The Governor still unleashes his assault but the groups this time are the following:

Rick, after getting beaten up by The Governor, looks for Carl in the wreckage. He doesn't find him. Instead, he runs into Beth Greene, who found an injured Bob Stookey during the fighting. The trio escape the prison, with Beth leading the way.

(Rick, Beth, Bob)

* * *

Glenn never left the bus. He is convinced by the Woodburians to stay in order to lead the bus group.

(Glenn and Woodbury survivors (OCs))

* * *

Sasha, after looking for Tyreese and anyone else in the group, runs into Lizzie and Mika. The three of them then flee into the forest, with Michonne following closely.

(Sasha, Lizzie, Mika, Michonne)

* * *

Carol, after witnessing the fall of the prison, runs into Abraham's trio, who invite her to come with them to D.C. However, determined to find the rest of the group, Carol convinces the trio to help her.

(Carol, Abraham, Eugene, Rosita)

* * *

Daryl is just about to leave the prison when he runs into Tara and Lilly Chambler. He is just about to kill them until Tara reveals she saved Judith. With the Chamblers in tow, Daryl heads back to the Greene family farm in order to rest for the night.

(Daryl, Tara, Lilly, Judith)

* * *

Carl, Tyreese and Maggie flee into the forest after failing to find their loved ones. With no other options, the trio heads to an abandoned neighborhood to spend the night.

(Carl, Maggie, Tyreese)

* * *

/

/

On the way, they will encounter familiar faces (i.e. Joe's group, Gareth and Terminus, Fr. Gabriel Stokes) as well as new faces. Who will survive this time? Who will reach Terminus? What will happen afterwards?

Note: This AU will go pass S4 and into S5 at some point. Who knows, maybe I might have the groups reach Terminus earlier than the show did? You'll have to read to find out.


	2. Chapter 1: Here We Remain

**BETH (Location: Smalltown near the prison / Time: Afternoon)**

The fire from the prison could still be seen from where Beth Greene was. They had walked for hours, approaching a small, abandoned town that they had come across, but just the sight of the fire made her realize just how little progress they had made. The thought of her dad's decapitated body rotting outside the gates haunted her but she knew that she had to push the thought to the back of her head. She didn't want to break, like how she did when Shane had opened their family barn.

Bob Stookey took up the rear, making sure no one, zombie and human, would sneak up on them. Beth had volunteered due to his gunshot wound but Bob waved her off, saying he could handle it. Beth was still unsure what to think of Bob since he was still fairly new but luckily for her, he seemed to genuinely want to keep the three of them safe. The less could be said about the sheriff.

Rick was still badly beaten, the worst she had ever seen anyone after a fight, but yet he refused to accept her help. He walked in front of Beth and Bob, uncaring of the two of them.

Just as Rick reached the town, he tripped on a pothole. Beth rushed in to help him up but immediately, he shoved her away.

RICK: Just leave me be!

BETH: I'm sorry! Sorry, Rick...I was just...you looked like you needed help.

RICK: I don't need your help. Just stand back and don't get in my way.

Rick stood up and walked on. Beth, stunned by his words, could only continue walking forward, watching Rick's back since he was in no condition to fight. Looking around the town, Bob noticed a coffee shop that somehow still had its windows and doors intact. He tapped Beth on the shoulder and pointed her to the shop.

BOB: We should stay there for the night. We ain't in any condition to be out here wandering around, especially when night comes. Besides, I'm worried about Rick. He ain't himself.

BETH: I don't blame him. First, he gets the holy hell beaten out of him by the Governor. Then, Judith...and Carl-

BOB: Come on now girl, don't say that. You don't know if they're dead. Look, this is my third time being in this situation. Best way to deal with it is to just think positively. You didn't see them die, therefore you can't conclude that they're dead. In fact, this is better than the last two times since the others may actually still be alive.

BETH: I wasn't thinking that they were dead. I know they're still alive. It's just...I have a feeling about it. I haven't given up.

BOB: That's good to hear. Let's hope we can convince Rick to do the same.

Beth and Bob run up to Rick and stop him in his tracks. He tries to walk past them but Bob gets in his way. Rick sighs, turning to Beth.

BETH: There's a coffee shop we can rest in for the night. You really need to rest after what happened to you.

RICK: My son's out there. Daryl, Tyreese, your sister-

BETH: Yeah, but what good is it gonna do you to keep going in your condition? Just rest Rick, we can find Carl and the others tomorrow.

BOB: Listen to the girl, man. We both don't want you walking out here like this.

With a heavy heart, he sighs and the three walk back towards the shop. Beth and Rick enter it as Bob closes the door, locking them in for the night.

(**Time: Midnight)**

The night was peaceful. But from afar, the three of them were being watched. In the cover of night, they looked like shadows. Rick, Bob, and Beth would never be able to see them even if they tried.

UNKNOWN MAN: There's three of them. The white man is injured, he should be easy to take. The black man is injured as well but well enough to stand and fight. The girl is going to be a problem.

UNKNOWN WOMAN: She's not a problem. Let's go back and tell Kaiden we found trespassers. We need to deal with these bastards quickly before they find out what we're doing here.

* * *

**GLENN (Location: King County, Georgia / Time: Sunset) **

In his mind, Glenn was almost regretting his decision to stay with the Woodburians. He promised to keep them safe but what he didn't expect was that the group would veer far away from the rendezvous point. When Glenn had argued to stop earlier, the driver refused and suddenly, the lights went out when he was knocked out from behind.

The bus kept going until they ran out of gas. Luckily for them, they stopped at a town which had a gas station; King County, Georgia. Glenn had never been to the town before but he knew Rick, Michonne, and Carl had came here earlier to pick up guns. But while that was the first thought that came to mind, another thought hit Glenn; the others were probably at the rendezvous point and here they were, at Rick's hometown for no reason. Glenn exited the bus to look around.

GLENN: Why the hell are we here! Can someone please explain to me why we did not go to the rendezvous point!

A man who was trying to work the gas pumps approached Glenn. Glenn didn't recognize him.

MAN: Look, sorry Glenn but none of us felt safe going to the rendezvous point.

GLENN: The others will be looking for us there!

MAN: Yeah, but we didn't see anyone else get out of there. We all sort of agreed that no one else made it.

Glenn couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stormed off to look around the town for some supplies. Maggie was still out there and if he had to go on foot to find her, he would. That was when he realized there was something...off about this place. Just walking through the town felt uncomfortable as there were what appeared to be homemade booby traps on the main street. Dead zombies had gotten caught in traps, many of them still not activated. He had to be careful while walking down the street.

Up ahead, the other Woodbury survivors were looking around, looking for supplies. Although Glenn was well connected to the people in the prison, he barely knew anyone on the bus. There was only four people he recognized by name; Jeanette, the elderly black woman from Woodbury, Kira, a redhead college student who became close friends with his wife Maggie, Nina, Kira's teenage sister, and Farid, an Afghan man who was the group's designated bus driver. Jeanette and Nina had chosen to stay behind to watch the people on the bus while Kira and Farid were scoping out the area. Glenn could spot Kira's dark-red hair from a distance while just looking at Farid and remembering the argument they had on the bus angered him.

As Glenn crossed main street, he and the Woodburians were caught off-guard by a sudden gunshot. All of them ducked behind the cars to avoid the shooter. One man was not so lucky. A shot of pink mist hit the hood of a car as he hit the ground, dead.

Sniper, Glenn thought. He cursed to himself for not checking the roofs. Quietly, he motioned for Kira and Farid to come to him. Going from car to car, the two of them joined Glenn.

KIRA: Glenn, nice to see you're awake.

GLENN: Shut up, I'm still mad at you.

KIRA: For the record, I voted to go to the rendezvous point. Farid did too but he was pressured by the group.

Glenn glared at Farid who shrugged his shoulders. Glenn didn't hate Farid but the man was a known coward. He could buy the idea of Farid being bullied into driving away from the meeting place.

GLENN: We'll talk about this later. Let's deal with the shooter.

KIRA: Did you see him, Glenn? I didn't have a chance to look.

GLENN: No, I didn't get a good look either.

Another gunshot rang out. It hit the hood of the car, right by Glenn's head. Glenn ducked lower, even more scared.

FARID: Guys, not to state the obvious but...we're fucked!

GLENN: Farid, will you shut up! We just gotta come up with a plan.

KIRA: Any ideas? I'm open to any.

Glenn shook his head. He was ashamed to admit that he had no plans but he couldn't lie to her. He then realized he had one option; covering fire to let the group escape. It was foolish but he had no other choice.

Just as Glenn was about to pop his head out in the open, surprisingly, the shooter began to talk.

MORGAN: Rick! If this is your group, you should say something! I don't want to have to shoot you or anyone with you!

Glenn was surprised to hear that. The shooter had to be talking about Rick Grimes, this was the man's hometown. On a hunch, Glenn tried to reason with the shooter.

GLENN: None of us are Rick! But...we're friends! We mean you no harm, we just need...help!

No response. Carefully, Glenn looked up. For a second, his heart stopped when he saw the gunman aiming his rifle right at his head. After contemplating on it, the gunman lowered his rifle. He was going to let the group stay.

At least, for now.

* * *

**SASHA (Location: Elementary school a few miles away from the prison / Time: Night) **

Sasha and Michonne had found, ironically enough, an elementary school to rest for the night. It made sense now that they were the unofficial guardians of Lizzie and Mika Samuels. Michonne didn't mind; she was used to taking care of kids. Carl was a blast to talk with while she did feel a sense of pride every time she heard Mika and Patrick praise her as if she were some superhero.

Sasha, on the other hand, was used to handling the adults. Due to her being on the council and going on supply runs, she didn't have a lot of time for just hanging out with the other survivors. She didn't hate having Lizzie and Mika around but she definitely did not want to be den mother. The girls were asleep. Mika was sleeping with the doll she had found earlier that day while Lizzie had fallen asleep next to Mika. Sasha, who was sitting next to Michonne, was slowly drinking some tea Michonne had made earlier that night. It wasn't very good but at least it calmed her nerves.

SASHA: Hey, Mich?

MICHONNE: What?

SASHA: What's our gameplan here? Do you have any idea where we're going? I mean, no one was at the rendezvous point so I'd like to know you have a place in mind instead of just wandering around Georgia for the rest of our lives.

MICHONNE: Sorry to disappoint you. But to be honest, wandering around isn't so bad. That's what I used to do before I met the group. It was miserable and pointless but at least I was doing something.

SASHA: Well, I guess now you can go back to that but with three people to tag along with.

Sasha sighed. She looked at Lizzie and Mika, who both looked peaceful asleep.

SASHA: Goddammit...of all the people those girls could've ended up with, why did it have to be us?

MICHONNE: They're lucky they ended up with anyone. Better us than no one at all.

SASHA: I just wish it was Carol who got these kids. She pretty much became their mom after their dad died. Hell, with all the people in the camp, I barely even talked with them. I don't know anything about their past, what they like, who they like hanging around with, or anything else about them. I know I'm sounding awful right now, and I'm not trying to say I want to get rid of them. It's just...I don't really trust myself handling the kids.

MICHONNE: I get what you're feeling. You want to take care of people but you don't feel like you're the right person to do it. Happens to anyone who takes on that role. You remember Andrea, right?

SASHA: Yeah, the blonde woman who hopped the fence.

MICHONNE: I didn't really trust myself in taking care of her at times. I knew she could handle herself but there were times I felt like she needed my help. And during those times she did need me, I doubted myself. It's what comes from caring for others, you start doubting your every move because you don't want to hurt the ones you love.

SASHA: You know, your optimistic view of all of this is really sounding like Beth right now.

MICHONNE: And your pessimism is sounding a lot like Daryl.

Sasha and Michonne chuckled at that. Just then, the bushes behind them shook. Immediately, Sasha went for her pistol while Michonne unsheathed her katana. Lizzie and Mika awoke at the sounds. Before they could say a word, Sasha motioned for them to stay quiet. They had no idea if it was a zombie or another person.

A hooded figure jumped out of the bush. He patted down his pants and jackets, indicating he was human. At that, Sasha and Michonne relaxed a little but still had their guard up. The stranger took off his hood. He was a black man in his 30's with a bald head. The man walked up to the four women, his hands raised to show he meant no harm. He didn't seem to care that he had a gun and a sword aimed at his head.

GABRIEL: Good evening, ladies.

MICHONNE: Don't move. Sasha is going to go to you and pat you down for weapons.

GABRIEL: Of course, by all means.

Sasha moved up to pat the man down. After making sure he was clean, Sasha stepped back, still holding the man at gunpoint.

MICHONNE: Who the hell are you? Were you spying on us? Are there others with you?

GABRIEL: Relax. Yes I was spying but I'm alone and I know I can't prove that but just hear me out. Now, my name is Gabriel Stokes and I am a priest. My church is actually not too far from here. I know that me being here is quite shady but I'm looking for people to come with me on a special trip.

Sasha turned to Michonne, who signaled with her face that she did not trust the stranger.

SASHA: To where?

GABRIEL: Down south to Savannah. Didn't you hear? There's a survivor colony there that's got it made! I was going to check it out since there's nowhere to go up north. As a servant of God, I made it my mission to find any survivors around this area before I made the trip. As of now, you four are the only ones I found. Now, what do you girls say? Sound good?

Sasha and Michonne look at each other, unsure how to respond.

* * *

**CAROL (Location: The woods, near a set of railroad tracks / Time: Afternoon) **

It had only been two hours since Carol had met Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. They seemed like reasonably good people; Rosita mostly kept to herself and avoided Carol, Eugene seemed harmless, only making video game jokes and scientific observations whenever she chose to talk to him, and Abraham, despite his gruff demeanor, came off as a man with good intentions and a clear goal in mind. He definitely wasn't the Governor who always seemed to be scheming.

Carol had trouble trusting them since they were strangers and the last thing she wanted was to trust in strangers but she kept herself together and went against her instincts. Being alone in the woods made her realize how much she missed being with other people and although she didn't want to trust these new people, it was better than being alone again. _  
_

According to Abraham, the mullet man Eugene was a scientist who knew how to stop the zombie apocalypse. Carol laughed at that the first time she heard it. She didn't believe it for a second; after the incident with Dr. Jenner and the CDC, no way was there ever going to be a cure. But she didn't argue with how ridiculous this all sounded. On one hand, she didn't want the strangers to hate her for calling them out on their claims. On the other hand, she was curious. She wanted to know if Eugene was really lying or telling the truth and part of her really did want to go to DC to find out. However, her need to search for any survivors of the prison was greater than her curiosity.

The quartet was on foot; they had lost their armored truck thanks to Eugene, who foolishly decided to fire a rifle during a zombie ambush despite having never fired a rifle before. It didn't help that the car she was left with by Rick had broken down. While Abraham hated being on foot, Carol didn't mind; she liked being on foot and there was no rush to go to Washington D.C.. At least, no rush according to Eugene.

The day was going by without any problems until the group was stopped by a sudden loud screaming. It was a man and from how loud he was, he was close by. Immediately, Abraham started running towards the screaming. Carol, Rosita, and Eugene followed closely.

CAROL: Abraham, shouldn't we be running away from the screaming!

ABRAHAM: We gotta shut that guy up! He's gonna alert that motherfucking herd on the highway if he keeps screaming like that!

Herds. Carol did not want to deal with a herd. That was why they were walking in the forest, the highway was congested with a zombie herd so big, she couldn't even see the back end of the herd. But even now, she was worried that it was too late to stop the herd since the man had already screamed.

The four of them burst through the bush to find a peculiar sight. It was a man in his late 20s / early 30s and despite the grime on his face as a result of not washing for days, he was still a relatively handsome man. He had his leg caught in a bear trap, which was hidden beneath heavy grass. The man stopped screaming. Abraham immediately raised his Desert Eagle pistol at him and the man raised his hands to show he had nothing to hide.

MAN: Please! Just help me here, I promise I'm not a bad guy.

ABRAHAM: We'll see about that. Are you alone?

MAN: Look, I get it. A guy on his own randomly gets his foot caught in a bear trap, it sounds fishy. Okay, yes, I am part of a group but I got separated. We ran into this big fucking herd on the highway and I ran here to get away. But trust me on this, this is not a trap! I'm the only one here! Besides, this is a pretty fucking stupid place to plant a trap. Right next to a giant herd? Come on!

Thanks to years of putting on a face for her husband Ed, Carol could spot when someone was acting. Looking at the man's face, Carol could see he was being genuine. But then again, he could've been a really good actor. It was hard to tell so for now, Carol decided to help him.

Carol approached the strange man cautiously. She knelt down to tend to his wounds but kept her guard up just in case he tried anything. Meanwhile, Abraham and Eugene got to work on opening the bear trap while Rosita stood guard. Just looking at his leg, Carol already knew the man wouldn't be able to walk for days. The hooks were in deep.

CAROL: Wow, this looks bad. Okay, Abraham and Eugene are going to get you free and afterwards, I'll stitch and clean up your wound. For now, just lie down and try to relax.

MAN: I don't think I can. Jesus, can you believe this? I made it this far into the apocalypse and I still make stupid mistakes like this. Problem was that I wasn't looking. I got separated from my group, tried to find them in the chaos, and all of a sudden, I feel this sharp pain down on my leg. Ow! Can you watch what you're doing!

ABRAHAM: Hey asshole, let us do our work so the doc can do her work.

The man sighed and gritted his teeth to bear the pain.

CAROL: Sorry. We're doing our best to help you but you gotta be cooperative.

MAN: I got you, just please. Do what you can.

CAROL: There that's better. Now, while they do that, let's introduce ourselves. You already know these two, this woman here is Rosita, and I'm Carol. Can you tell us your name?

The man looked right into Carol's eyes. Carol felt uncomfortable in his stare but she didn't break the stare. The last thing she wanted to do was look weak in front of a stranger.

GARETH: Gareth...my name's Gareth.

* * *

**DARYL (Location: Hershel's farm / Time: Night) **

It was almost surreal seeing the farm again for Daryl. The barn was now a crumpled mess of ashes and burnt pieces of wood. The RV was gone as well, burnt down to the ground. Daryl didn't even want to go near the thing; even though Jimmy's body was probably incinerated by the fire, just knowing that he died there disturbed Daryl.

Fortunately for the group, the zombie herd that attacked the farm had dispersed. Of course, there were a few zombies here and there walking around but nothing they couldn't handle. Approaching the front door of the house, Daryl fired one bolt at a zombie sitting on the porch. It went right into the zombie's nose, killing it instantly.

Lilly Chambler had somehow gotten Judith to quiet down. She had cried the whole time, from escaping the prison to walking down the highway. It was a miracle that they had somehow reached the farm without a large herd on their tail. Just holding Judith almost made Lilly want to cry. Not long ago, Meghan, her only daughter, had died, bitten and then shot by that deranged psychopath she thought was a good man. It was bittersweet, putting Brian down, but it had to be done.

Tara Chambler, who made it her mission to protect her sister and Judith, wandered around in order to take in her surroundings. She had never been to this farm and the last thing she wanted was to get lost or find an area of the farm she was not familiar with. While wandering about, she came across a makeshift cemetery. There were several graves, all of them unmarked. Curious, she ran back to Daryl to ask about the tombstones. Daryl was busy trying to open the front door, which didn't seem to budge.

TARA: Daryl! Hey, Daryl!

Daryl snorted, frustrated at this newcomer trying to get his attention. Everything about the situation was irritating him, especially once he realized there was something blocking the door on the other side. Tara wanted to help open the door but knowing Daryl was not in the best of moods, she stayed back and let him handle the door by himself.

TARA: I know you're busy but can you tell me what's up with the graves? You said you stayed here before reaching the prison. I was hoping you would know anything about them.

DARYL: They're none of your business. Now shut up and keep watch.

TARA: Okay...sorry, didn't mean to offend.

DARYL: You weren't, you were just being a pain in the ass.

Tara shrugged. Lilly shot a glare at Tara, nodding her head. It was obvious she didn't want Tara to piss Daryl off even more. They had gotten lucky when Daryl spared them when he didn't have to and they knew it. Even though they didn't help in the invasion, they were still on the Governor's side. Tara had watched as Daryl shot Mitch with his crossbow. She knew that if she wasn't holding Judith when he saw her, she would've gotten an arrow right in her eye.

Daryl sighed. He hated all of this. With all this stress and tension in the air, he felt like he was becoming the asshole redneck he was back when the group was camped outside Atlanta. It felt natural to snap at people but even though he did, he didn't like to anymore. Realizing that he was stuck with the Chamblers, no matter how much he didn't want to be, he turned to the sisters, who looked right back at him.

DARYL: Sophia, Annette, Shawn, and Dale. They were the ones you found buried. They were...good people.

TARA: I'm so sorry...it's always a shame to lose people you loved.

DARYL: Well, they died a long time ago so quit being sorry for things that weren't your fault. Now, if you really wanna be useful, help me open this goddamn door.

Tara smiled. It wasn't much to earn Daryl's full trust but if this eased tensions between them even a little bit, it was worth it. Tara and Daryl pressed on the door to push back whatever it was blocking the door. The door began to open and revealing that it was a couch with weights on it to make it harder to push.

Something wasn't right here, Daryl thought. Did someone take over the house while we were gone? Pushing that thought to the side for a second, the duo gave one last push and opened the door. Tara smiled at Daryl, who nodded his head as a sign of thanks.

All of a sudden..._BANG! _For a second, the world slowed down for Daryl as Tara clutched her stomach in pain. She dropped to the ground, landing right where the bullet had hit her.

LILLY: TARA! NO!

Judith started crying as Lilly dropped down to help Tara. The bullet had gone clean through, luckily enough. In a rush of adrenaline, Daryl raised his crossbow and charged inside, ready to shoot the idiot who fired at them.

Then, he saw who it was. Almost on instinct, Daryl lowered his crossbow. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The shooter was aiming a small revolver right at Daryl's head. He was ready to pull as well but stopped after seeing Daryl. Slowly, he lowered his gun. His wife and son sighed in relief upon seeing Daryl.

JOSE: It's you...the man on the bridge.

Daryl had never expected to come across the Mexican family he had saved from Merle again. And yet there they were, taking residence in the Greene family farm.

* * *

**CARL (Location: Abandoned house / Time: Morning of the next day) **

It had been one day since the prison fell. The shock of it all was still evident in Carl, Maggie, and Tyreese. Maggie was feeling it the worst; not only was Hershel gone, but Beth and Glenn. She was still asleep while Carl and Tyreese ate breakfast. The two decided not to wake her up, agreeing that she needed rest.

The cereal they had found in the house was stale but it was something. Unfortunately, no milk. But having no milk was the least of their problems.

While eating the cereal, they couldn't help but think of the food back at the prison. They had gotten used to eating great food back in the prison, like Daryl's bar-be-cue, Carol's special stew, and Beth's chicken pot pie, that the cereal only reminded them of what they lost. Carl was especially glum by it. It was just food but it was making him feel miserable. Tyreese, on the other hand, laughed at the thought of it.

CARL: What's so funny?

TYREESE: Ha, nothing. I know this is not the time to be laughing about anything but it's just...I forgot that when I was on the road with Sasha, Allen, Ben, and Donna, the food we were collecting was absolutely terrible. I mean, godawful. I remember, Allen tried making us eat these stale nutrition bars and even though the two of us and Donna were able to hold it in, Ben and Sasha threw up a few minutes later. But the thing is, we eventually got used to shitty food. Then, we found the prison and we had all that great food...it's amazing just how hard it is to go back to the bad food. It just goes to show, you only start realizing just how good you have it once you have it taken away from you.

Tyreese took a spoonful of cereal, still smirking. Carl, thinking about their situation in a new light, also began to smile.

CARL: I get it. I mean, yeah, we weren't making, like, five-star dishes but compared to the food we find out here, they might as well been. Do you remember that cook-off Hershel held during the fall?

TYREESE: Yeah, it was someone's birthday. Now that was a great day. I was working the fences with Karen and we had spent all afternoon killing walkers. Then that night, we were all treated to a cook-off. Now, that was just great.

CARL: I know. It was Beth's team versus Maggie's team. I remember me and Patrick were rooting for Beth because she also had Carol on the team and we both loved their food.

TYREESE: Sure it was the girl's cooking that you loved about Beth?

Carl blushed. On seeing how red Carl's face got, Tyreese could only laugh. He patted Carl on his shoulder.

TYREESE: Relax, little man, you're in that age so you got nothing to be embarrassed about. I admit, she's not bad looking. I mean, she was taken at the time, but she definitely had most of the boys looking her way-

CARL: ANYWAYS, yeah, Glenn was with Beth too but he was more of a back-up member. Now, Lizzie and Mika were on Maggie's team because Daryl and Zach were on her team and wow, I can't even describe how much they loved Daryl's bar-be-cue. Like, they both begged me for my leftovers the first day he cooked. Hell, everyone loved Daryl's bar-be-cue. It was just the best bar-be-cue we've ever had.

TYREESE: Yeah, his bar-be-cue was alright. I've had better in the past. But I can see why you kids loved it the way you did. Not much else to compare his cooking to.

CARL: That was a good day. It didn't even matter that Beth and Maggie tied, we were all just laughing about it when it was all over.

At that, Carl sighed and went back to his cereal. The memories of the prison, while a peaceful place to drift off to, were still too much at this point. Tyreese could see it in Carl's face. He wanted to reach out to the boy and tell him it'd be alright but deep down, he wasn't sure if anything would ever be alright.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Maggie woke up and joined the boys downstairs. Her hair was messy but it didn't seem like she cared. She sat next to Carl, grabbed a bowl, and began pouring the cereal into it. She ate quickly, which surprised Tyreese.

TYREESE: You okay, Mags? You don't have to eat that fast, we aren't going anywhere in a hurry.

MAGGIE: We are going somewhere. And I'm fine...let's just eat breakfast so we can pack our stuff up. We've got a big day ahead of us.

CARL: Why, what are we doing?

MAGGIE: We're going to find the bus and get Glenn and Beth. We aren't doing anything else, okay.

Maggie took a spoonful of cereal, not even looking at Tyreese and Carl. The two boys just shook their heads, agreeing with the plan. Personally, they wanted to find their own loved ones but they had no idea where to look. At least Maggie had some idea.

Upon leaving the house, what stunned the three of them was how empty the streets were. That was the one good thing to come from the Governor's assault; all the zombies in the area were probably at the prison.

Map at hand, Maggie walked in front, leading the group towards the rendezvous point.

(**Time: 2 hours later, still on the road) **

Although the trail of the bus was long gone, what kept hope alive with Maggie was that the bus had to have gone to the rendezvous point. Glenn was on it and she knew he would've wanted them to head to the established area. All they now had to do was reach it and see if the bus was there. As they walked down the road, they suddenly heard a gunshot from behind. They stopped to see who it was. Maggie and Carl pulled out their guns while Tyreese pulled out his rifle. They looked around to find out where the gunshot rang out from. As they did, another gunshot went off, this time much closer. Someone was shooting but they were not sure who they were shooting at.

MAGGIE: I don't see anyone! How about you two?

TYREESE: Nothing...and we got no cars to hide behind. We're sitting ducks out here.

Rookie mistake, Carl thought. Walking down the road, with no cover, was something Rick told the group not to do. They had walked right into an ambush with no place to hide.

The men shooting at them burst from the bushes and surrounded Carl, Maggie, and Tyreese, ready to kill them all if they made any sudden moves. There was seven of them, each of them armed to the teeth. With no other option and too many of them to fight off, the three dropped their weapons and held their hands up to surrender. A long-haired, greasy looking man wielding a compound bow stepped up. He was glancing at Maggie and cat called her, which only infuriated her.

MAGGIE: You keep looking at me like that and I'll knock your teeth out.

The man laughed, not taking Maggie seriously.

LEN: My my...aren't you something. You are, by far, the finest piece of ass that I've seen in a long while. And I like my girls sassy, ain't got time for the dainty types.

LOU: Claimed! I'm claiming the girl.

LEN: Man, fuck you Lou! I saw her first!

LOU: Don't matter, Len, you should've claimed her! Them's the rules!

Maggie moved to grab her gun but Tyreese stopped her by grabbing her hand. Len barely had time to react but when he did, Tyreese waved him off. Maggie glared at him but Tyreese nodded no. He didn't have to say anything; the look he gave her was telling her it wasn't the right time.

Len backed away as what looked like the leader of the group stepped up to greet them. He was a surly looking man with messy white hair and a goatee to match. Carl glared at the man as he knelt down to Carl's level.

JOE: Boys, settle down. That's not anyway to treat our honored guest. As for you three, welcome to the family. From now on...you three are all claimed.

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry if each section is short. This chapter's purpose is to reveal what the characters have been up to after the prison. From now on, only two viewpoints per chapter in order to focus on character and plot development. But anyways, yeah, hope you enjoyed reading!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Journey Into Madness

NOTE: Trigger warning (Depictions of graphic violence and sexual assault/rape. The typical Walking Dead content.)

**GARETH (Location: Terminus / Time: Flashback, around the time Rick's group first found the prison, night)**

Gareth's vision kept wavering. He felt like he was floating. He was moving but he wasn't walking. As his vision came back, he saw that he was being dragged by two people, a black woman holding him on his right and a bald, Latino man on his left. His left eye was still bleeding from the punch that had knocked him clean out while his ribs ached from the vicious kicking he had received from the guards who were dragging him.

As he was being dragged, from the corner of his eye, he saw his brother Alex and his mother Mary being dragged into the boxcars. Those damn boxcars, Gareth thought. They contained the group's food and other essential supplies. But these bastards had cleaned them out when they arrived. Now they were being stored to house people. He could hear the screaming, even when the doors were closed. It sickened him.

It was a mistake, Gareth kept telling himself. They were letting people in without properly screening them. The danger of letting dangerous people in was always a concern but his mother always reassured him that nothing would go wrong. That since they were doing the right thing by saving people, they wouldn't be punished for it. Now, he was being dragged to god only knows where for trying to be a Good Samaritan.

When his vision fully returned, he saw that he had been dragged to the group's main warehouse. It was their base of operations, where they sent out the radio message to anyone who could hear it. The doors opened and the two marauders dragged Gareth inside.

Right there, he saw an awful sight. Three of the marauders stood in the middle of the room, among them being the man who crushed his eye. Gareth recognized him as the man who wanted to speak for his group. Owen was his name. His face was covered in tattoos and he had a sickening smile. The kind of smile only monsters and murderers had. The doors closed behind Gareth as the two henchmen dragged him to Owen.

The two tossed Gareth to the ground and held him up. This was complete humiliation for him, to be down on his knees at the man's mercy. Owen smiled again as he knelt down to be at eye level with Gareth.

OWEN: Well, well, well...if it isn't our generous host. I gotta say, you're our biggest haul so far. We've got food to last for months thanks to y'all.

GARETH: What do you want? We didn't do anything to you and your people-

Owen, with his backhand, slapped Gareth right on his left cheek. It stung immensely, almost knocking him back out.

OWEN: Why is it that people always assume I want something? Here, answer this. You know, your group isn't the first time we've done this. I reckon this is the...sixth group of idiots that we sacked. And you know why we do it?

GARETH: For...their supplies? Your group is always on the move so you need supplies.

OWEN: (laughs) If we wanted supplies, we'd scavenge, not waste our goddamn fucking time attacking people that can possibly fight back. It's too much of a risk. No, we do this because...well, it's fun. Do you find this fun, Gareth?

Gareth shook his head.

OWEN: Of course you don't, you being the victim here. But I look at you and even if the tables were flipped, you wouldn't enjoy it. You're the kind of man who saves people. You're the kind of person who'd find this barbaric. Well, if you spent any time outside your walls, and I bet you have, you'd realize that the apocalypse is a little...boring. Sure, you kill a bunch of geeks here and there but the geeks stop being fun to kill once you've gotten the hang of it. People on the other hand….they always present a challenge. Whether it's people behind walls, people traveling in a group, or just people doing fuck knows what, they always do something different. Some people negotiate, some people fight, and some people just collapse because they're too damn weak to negotiate or fight. You...you're a negotiator, not a fighter. You tried just now.

GARETH: What choice do I have here? So if I can't negotiate my way out of this, why don't you just kill me now?

OWEN: Oh, we will. Don't be so impatient to meet the reaper. I want to enjoy my time with you and everyone else in...Terminus? Is that what you call this place? That's a cute name. Not as good as "Nirvana", that was the name a group in Alabama called the shopping mall they were hiding in, but definitely better than "Beakman's Fortress". Some nut in South Carolina called his farm that. I ripped his fucking stomach open for coming up with such an ugly name. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, you're gonna hate your final days Gareth. You're gonna wish you were dead and when you start begging for me to shove my 9mm down your throat, I'm just gonna keep on torturing you until you're the last one left. Then who knows...maybe I'll let you live just to fuck with you. But until then...let the torture begin.

At that, Owen snapped his fingers. The two guards who were standing with Owen left and headed to the backroom. They came back, dragging a young, blonde woman to the room. Blue eyes, soft features, the kind of woman who'd fit the farmer's daughter stereotype. Gareth's mouth dropped when he saw her, as well as all his calmness. Owen almost laughed at Gareth's newfound anger

GARETH: Abigail...let her fucking go!

Anyone but her. Alex and Mary were always there in the back of his head but seeing Abigail, his wife, threw him off. Owen noticed that and smiled.

OWEN: Abigail? That's a lovely name. She says she's your wife. Married before the apocalypse started. She weaved a little tale about you and her that actually made my daughter Mia cry. You guys want to hear it?

The soldiers cooed him on, as if it were a joke to them all.

OWEN: According to Abigail, you had just graduated from law school and she was working as the secretary for some start-up when you proposed to her. You were planning on moving to California because you had gotten a job offer by Morrison &amp; Foerster. And the only reason you accepted the offer was because she had said yes to your proposal. It was actually adorable the way she described it. Wine, candles, and you dined at the restaurant you had your first date in. You must really love this woman.

GARETH: I'll rip your fucking throat out, you hear me! If you even think about touching her-

OWEN: No you won't. You're a negotiator, remember? You don't fight. If you did fight, you wouldn't have even let me and my people inside your camp! Now...I'm going to break you. And this is how I do it. And fellas, I want him to watch this.

The two guards next to Gareth grabbed his head, making sure he didn't look away. Owen, without hesitation, began ripping off Abigail's clothes. The guards laughed as Gareth screamed for Abigail. When she tried to run away, Owen grabbed her by the ankles and broke them, stomping on both of them with his boots.

The rage only grew and grew. All Gareth could think of was killing Owen again and again, even as the man proceeded to rape his wife in front of him. He dug his nails so deep into his palm that he felt the blood come out and he thought of doing the same but to Owen's face.

(**Time: Flashforward. The next morning after Carol and Abraham's trio found Gareth**)

Gareth woke up to the sound of birds tweeting. Bad dream, he thought. The others he was with were still sleeping. The fat one, Eugene, was curled up in a ball while the warrior queen Carol had fallen asleep with her rifle still at hand. She must've fallen asleep while guarding. Abraham and Rosita were sleeping next to each other. Just seeing the two of them made him yearn to see Abigail again. Terminus was still a few miles away but they weren't too far now. As long as the herds stayed away, it would take a day and a half to reach the place.

He stood up and stretched. His leg still hurt from getting caught in the bear trap but fortunately for him, he still had function. Well, at least that's some kind of good news, Gareth thought. He looked at his palm. He could still see the marks where he dug his fingernails into. That night, that awful night. And he would forever have these scars to remind him of it.

When he turned his hand around, there were different marks. Different scar marks. These marks he had gotten after he pummeled Mia's face into the ground, caving her skull in. Different scars, but the story felt the same. Gareth could still remember how it went down. His people held Owen down as he pummeled the man's daughter. She had done nothing wrong and was even against attacking Terminus. Still, Owen had assaulted his wife. At the time, Gareth just wanted to be even, even if it meant attacking an innocent person.

It was wrong but it felt so right. At that, Gareth smiled. Owen was a bastard and he remained a bastard, even after Gareth killed him. But he was right about one thing; making people suffer was indeed fun.

* * *

**BETH 2 (the next morning) **

Rick was still asleep in the break room, still recovering from the beating he had gotten from the Governor. His face was swollen and his breathing had become labored but for now, he was fine. Beth was worried at first that Rick had died but Bob reassured her that he was recuperating.

With Rick out, Bob and Beth began looking through the coffee shop to see what they could find. Miraculously, they found a working coffee machine and they had tons of coffee beans to select from. For this morning, Beth decided on a bag of "Hawaii Roasters". They had no sugar and cream but it would do.

As the coffee brewed, Bob laid down on a couch, still tired from yesterday. He massaged the shoulder that was hit during the fall of the prison. Beth had helped him with the bandages and judging from the wound, she had nothing to worry about. Still, she felt compelled to ask about his injuries.

BETH: How's your shoulder?

BOB: It's fine. I just need some time to heal. Well, both me and Rick. So we'll stay here until both of us are at 100%. No point in trying to find the others if we can barely fight. Besides, I'm pretty sure everyone's fine.

BETH: You seem awfully cheery for someone who just lost his home.

BOB: Wasn't there long enough to get attached. And this isn't the first time this happened to me.

BETH: This has happened to you before?

BOB: Twice. The first time, it was an internal problem. We fell apart because we killed each other. The second time, we all walked into a trap. We were told it was a rescue station. We didn't know someone else had taken it. Both times, I was the only guy who made it out. So for the third time this happened to me, I'm just happy I'm not alone.

BETH: Me too.

BOB: Are you really okay? I mean...Hershel. I don't want to bring this up but I gotta know. Are you really okay Beth?

Beth took a sip of her coffee. Of course she wasn't okay but like her dad used to say, we all got jobs to do. As the only person in the group who wasn't injured, now wasn't a time to doubt.

BETH: I'm okay. I mean, it happened and Maggie's gone but...I'm here, you're here, and Rick's here. I have to remain strong for the three of us.

BOB: Well said.

BETH: Okay...I guess that means I'll be doing the supply runs.

BOB: What do you mean? I can still move around, I'll go with you.

BETH: But your shoulder. Bob, no offense, but I'm not sure you'll be any help outside.

BOB: If Rick can take down a walker in his state, then I can help you gather supplies. Besides, I'm stronger than you. Do you really expect to be gathering the supplies for three people on your own?

Beth smiled at Bob's insistence.

BETH: Okay, you can come with...but not until Rick wakes up. I don't want to leave him unguarded, what if a walker comes in and finds him? If you're so insistent on helping me, then watch Rick.

BOB: (sighs) Alright girl, that's fair. Just be safe while you're out there. Watch out for walkers and people, especially people.

BETH: Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. If something happens...actually I take that back. Hollering will probably just get me killed.

BOB: If something happens, you run your ass back to us. You drop whatever it was that you were carrying and you run. Your life's not worth anything you find.

Beth nodded at that. Bob then handed her a pistol, a few extra magazines, and Rick's machete in case she ran out of ammo. She then headed out and walked towards the one place she knew would have food; the local supermarket. It was probably looted but she had to give it a try.

As she approached the supermarket, she began noticing strange things on the road. Lying on the floor was a dead body whose head was cut off completely. What was strange was that it was wearing some kind of white robe, like a monk. At first, Beth ignored it but that was when she encountered more headless bodies with white robes. It was one thing to find one person in white robes but finding several, it raised questions.

Further down the street, she saw a torso. Its limbs had been cut off and spread around it, which led to Beth thinking that some kind of ritual had happened here.

Her suspicions seemed to have been confirmed when she came across the parking lot of the supermarket. On the ground, the words "THEY ARE COMING" were written in chalk and covered nearly the entire lot. Beth was stunned by it.

BETH: What the hell is going on here?

Beth ran inside the supermarket, quickly grabbing a shopping cart and began throwing in any item she thought would be useful. She just wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. For some reason, this area was creeping her out more so than the walkers. Of course, the store was looted but much to her surprise, there were still several canned goods and other supplies lying around.

As the cart filled up, Beth turned the corner and almost let out a scream from what she saw. A walker was hanging from the ceiling, its neck still caught in the noose. A stool was beneath its feet, painting an eerie image of what had happened. Just as Beth walked over to cut the walker down, a man carrying a bucket stepped into the aisle from the other side. He held his hand up, warning her not to approach the walker.

MAN: Don't! Dorothy was just startled by you, she didn't mean any harm!

Beth stepped back as the man took the stool and used it to climb up to greet the zombie. He reached into his bucket and pulled what appeared to be a piece of meat and fed it to the zombie. The zombie ate it vigorously, ripping away at the piece of flesh. Immediately, Beth aimed her pistol at the man. Something was clearly wrong with him.

MAN: You can put that away, little girl. This is deer, I killed it an hour ago.

BETH: I don't care what that is, why are you feeding her!?

MAN: I said...drop it.

The man dropped his bucket to the ground and stepped down from the stool. He slowly approached Beth, his hands raised up to avoid suspicion. Beth kept her gun levelled.

MAN: Okay, let's start over. My name is Hal. This is our sister, Dorothy. I feed her from time to time because she gets hungry.

BETH: "Our" sister?

HAL: We're all brothers and sisters here, blonde girl. Even at death, no one can destroy our bonds.

BETH: Alright...I'm gonna ask you this again. Why are you feeding her!? She's dead, she doesn't need to eat.

HAL: That's not very nice, little one. It's not nice to say people are dead when they're just sick.

That sounded just like dad, Beth thought. Was my dad really like this? Part of Beth began to fear that if Rick's group hadn't shown up when they did, her dad might've become a lunatic like Hal.

HAL: Dorothy will get better. That's what Kaiden says as well. They are coming and they will save us from this world!

BETH: Who's "they"? Start giving me some answers!

HAL: Come with me, I'll show you. (extends hand to Beth)

It was tempting but definitely not enough to risk her life for. She shook her head.

BETH: Sorry, I'm not that interested.

At that, Beth holstered her gun and immediately ran off with her cart. As she fled, another person tackled her cart from her left. Beth didn't see the woman coming. The woman shoved the cart away and tried to strangle Beth. The woman's grip was cold and strong. Beth could feel her lungs beginning to close and the woman's grip only grew tighter the more she struggled.

Much to Beth's surprise, Hal rushed in and stopped the woman from strangling Beth by grabbing her arms. Beth took a deep breath back in to regain all the lost air.

HAL: Angela, don't! I was going to take her back to Kaiden!

ANGELA: I was standing here the whole time, she already refused your offer. Hal, she has to die-

In an act of desperation, Beth grabbed the machete from her belt and slammed it into Angela's neck. Angela yelled but there was nothing she could do about it. She quickly bled out as the blood hit Beth right in the face.

Shocked by the sight, Hal immediately took off, trying to get away from Beth. Without even thinking about it, Beth grabbed her gun and fired two shots at Hal, intent on just stopping him. Although she aimed for the man's feet, the bullets instead hit him right on the back. The man gasped and then collapsed on the ground, killed on accident.

Two people, Beth thought. She hadn't kill anyone before but in just a few seconds, she had killed two people. Part of her didn't feel that bad about it. Most of what she was feeling was more of a surprise that she killed people.

A couple of walkers nearby heard the shots. They entered the supermarket and began approaching the lifeless bodies of Angela and Hal. Still shellshocked, Beth took off, back to the coffee shop where Bob and Rick were. She had no idea what just happened but deep down, she knew this wasn't the end of it.

* * *

**DARYL 2 (the morning after Tara was shot by Jose) **

It was a tough, quiet night but despite the initial danger, Tara was declared to be okay for now by the Mexican family's medic, Galen. There had been a brief stand-off right after Tara was shot. Galen, who was sleeping upstairs, ran down as quickly as he could and nearly shot Daryl if it hadn't been for Jose telling him not to. Galen was a short, pudgy man in his 50s. Daryl didn't want to say it out loud but the man reminded him a lot of Dale. It hurt to be reminded.

The words still haunted him. _"I'm sorry, brother"_, almost echoing how he felt when he had to put Merle down. Daryl put those thoughts away as he dug into the huevos rancheros prepared by Marian, Jose's wife. He ate next to Lilly, Jose, and the man's son, Diego. Judith was placed in a playpen with Jose and Marian's daughter, Marisol. The two babies seemed to be getting along with each other.

After Daryl finished his meal, he turned to Jose. He needed to know about what had happened since leaving the farm.

DARYL: So, I didn't get a chance to say this but...thanks. I mean, you're the one who got her in that situation but thanks for letting us stay and patching her up.

JOSE: You should thank Galen. The man has done wonders for us since we found him. You're right, I'm the one who shot her. But you have to understand, I thought you were them.

DARYL: I get it...of course I get it.

Jose nodded and pushed a can of beer to Daryl. He took it as Jose took his.

DARYL: How'd you find this place?

JOSE: Well, after the incident on the bridge, me and my wife went into the countryside. We figured that the dead were mainly in the cities so there shouldn't be as many out in the rural areas. We found this farm and we've been here ever since. It's quiet out here. The only person we've come across before your group was Galen.

DARYL: I see.

JOSE: Look, I never did thank you-

DARYL: Don't even start.

JOSE: Sorry, didn't mean to offend you. But I must insist, if it hadn't been for you, that man on the bridge would have robbed us completely.

DARYL: That "man" on the bridge was my brother. And he's dead now.

JOSE: I get that. I won't speak ill of the dead but I just want to let you know, you're welcome to stay with us for what you did.

Another group? Daryl snorted at the suggestion. He took the can of beer and walked away, not even bothering to thank Jose. Jose, slightly offended by Daryl's indifference, simply took a sip from his can. Lilly, noticing the hostility, then sat a little closer to Jose to explain what had happened to him.

Daryl overheard it all. Lilly went over what happened at the prison, with the Governor, and with Hershel. It was a lot for Jose to take in but he nodded, understanding the situation. Daryl couldn't bare to hear it all again. The prison was now just a memory but that didn't mean it still didn't sting. He needed to get his mind off of it all.

He walked over to Tara, who was being watched over by a sleeping Galen. Tara smiled weakly at Daryl, trying her best not to move due to the gunshot.

DARYL: How you holding up?

TARA: Well, Galen says the bullet went straight through, meaning I don't have any bullet shards to deal with. It still hurts like a motherfucker but hey, what can you do?

DARYL: Did Jose already approach you?

TARA: He did. He told me why he did it, I forgave him for it. Hell, I'm just glad he's not that good of a shot. I mean, they only go down with a shot to the head but he hits me in the chest, I'd laugh if it didn't hurt.

DARYL: You need me to get you anything?

TARA: Well...a can of beer would be nice. Got anymore?

Feeling sorry for her, Daryl placed his can next to Tara. She smiled at that. It was still too soon to smile back but Daryl acknowledged her with a nod. She lifted her right hand, hoping for a fist bump.

TARA: Come on, D-Man, don't leave me hanging.

DARYL: You gotta be kidding me.

Why not, Daryl thought. She was an annoying pain but she was harmless. Daryl fist bumped her and walked away, which in turn made her smile.

Daryl exited to the front porch. The dead were still scattered about but not enough to be a threat. He took in a deep breath, just to take it all in. The sun was still rising and the air was crisp. Maybe things will get better, he began thinking. He didn't really believe it but compared to what happened at the prison, things have to start getting better. They just had to.

As he stood there, he saw a strange figure in the distance. At first, Daryl thought he was just imagining it but as it grew nearer, it became more clear what it was. It was a car, a police car to be exact. Daryl recognized the logo of the car immediately.

Atlanta Police Department.

Recognizing a threat, Daryl went inside and grabbed his crossbow. He whistled, signalling to the group that someone was coming. Tara grabbed her pistol but Lilly urged her to remain where she was. Lilly and Jose joined Daryl, armed and ready to fire at these newcomers.

The police car stopped in front of the house. Two officers stepped out, one a bald Latino man and the other a white woman with black hair in a bun. The officers had pistols but they didn't draw them. The Latino officer walked up to the front porch but wisely enough, he didn't step up to greet Daryl.

MAN: Hello folks. I know, this is pretty suspicious. Two cops just show up at your front porch, even if the apocalypse didn't happen, this would still be suspicious. Since we're the intruders here, we'll introduce ourselves first. I'm Officer Bob Lamson, this is my partner Vivian Shepherd. We're here because we're looking for a member of our group.

Daryl eyed the man carefully. There was something off about the way he was presenting himself. The man fake coughed, probably trying to get Daryl to introduce himself and the rest of the group.

DARYL: You actually Atlanta PD or you just found those uniforms?

BOB: Not sure why that matters but yes, we were Atlanta PD.

DARYL: It does matter...prick. You might've-

BOB: Picked up the uniforms from people we killed, yeah I get it. Look, let's not bullshit ourselves here. You don't trust me and I sure as hell don't trust you. But I'm trying to be nice so you, in turn, can trust us. Here, I'll even say this. I don't think you're bad people. Just from where I'm standing, I can see a playpen with I think two babies in them. You people take care of babies, I doubt you're bad. Me and Shepherd, we're hold up in one of the city's hospitals, Grady Memorial. If you'd like, you can come back with us. Get the care your babies need that you can't get out here.

At that, Shepherd walked up to Bob and began whispering in his ear. Obviously, she disapproved of the plan.

Before Daryl had a chance to think about it, he heard the backdoor open and the sounds of someone running. Daryl looked back and saw that Galen had took off, with a backpack filled with the group's ammunition and guns. Immediately, Lamson and Shepherd jumped back into their car and took off after Galen.

Galen didn't make it far. Before he even reached the forest, he tired out and quickly gave himself up. Bob jumped out and aimed his pistol right at Galen's head.

GALEN: Fuck you Bob! Why did you fucking follow me!? Why couldn't you, Dawn, and the rest? of those assholes leave me alone!?

SHEPHERD: Holy shit, we actually found him.

BOB: (to Shepherd) It's not as if this son of a bitch went far in the first place. (to Galen) On the ground, Galen! On the-

GALEN: Please, don't fucking take me back there! They'll kill me-

BOB: On the ground, Galen! On the ground or I'll drop you!

Daryl, Lilly, and Jose ran over to the scene. Daryl had his crossbow up, aimed right at Bob's face. Shepherd jumped out and aimed her pistol at Daryl and in turn, Lilly aimed her gun at Shepherd. Jose aimed his revolver at Bob.

DARYL: What the hell is going on here!?

BOB: It's none of your concern-

JOSE: You point guns at people in our group and you say it's none of our concern? You might want to rethink your words.

BOB: We're taking Galen back to where he belongs. He ran from us-

DARYL: Thought you said you lost him. Looks to me he didn't want to be found.

BOB: It doesn't matter what you fucking think, you white trash piece of shit! Now we can either do this the easy way where you let us take him or you can do it the hard way! What's it gonna be, you fucking assholes.

LILLY: Guys, let's calm down! Look, Officer Lamson, I don't want to have to do this but you can't just take the man. Like we said, he's part of our group. He saved my sister's life last night. Doesn't that-

BOB: Yeah, he saved your sister's life with the stuff he stole from us. Now, you either let us take him or someone dies!

SHEPHERD: You best listen to the man! You don't want to protect a piece of shit like Galen.

At that, Daryl turned to Jose and Lilly, who both turned to Daryl. Shepherd did raise a point. None of them really knew anything about Galen, even Jose. But it would be cruel to just condemn a man to an unknown fate for just not knowing anything about him. It was a tough call for all three of them. Just to be sure as to who they were condemning, Daryl stepped up and began questioning Bob.

DARYL: What did he do?

BOB: He ran off from our camp. He took several of our supplies, medicine that we were in short supply with, and he killed an officer on his way out.

SHEPHERD: Ian Wong was a good man. He was new to the force but a good man nonetheless. And you know what Galen did? He sliced his throat just for asking him where he was going! He didn't deserve to be killed by this bastard!

GALEN: They're lying to you! I never even met the guy! These people, they killed their own guy to set me up. That's who these people are, they're liars and killers!

SHEPHERD: Shut the fuck up Galen! Next word that comes out of your mouth, you die!

JOSE: Hey, you shoot him, you die next!

The arguing began to sound like radio chatter to Daryl. There were so many people yelling and screaming around him that he was not sure where the argument was going. Just then, the argument got cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Daryl turned around. It had come from the house. He saw Tara Chambler standing by the backdoor, a smoking gun in her hand and the body of a dead Atlanta police officer next to her.

DARYL: Holy shit...how many of you are out here!?

TARA: This bastard tried to kidnap Judith! I shot him before he could. I didn't want to but he gave me no choice!

BOB: No...Jeffries. You fucking bitch!

DARYL: Bob, don't!

LILLY: Tara, get down-

Lilly was cut off by the sound of gunshots from both sides. Daryl dropped to the ground as the gunfire raged, alerting a large herd of walkers back to the farm. He wasn't sure who was hit but at the moment, all he cared about was figuring out who got shot.

* * *

**AARON (Location: Richmond / Time: The same morning in the previous two chapters)**

Recruiting people for Alexandria was always busy work but in the past few days, the amount of people Aaron's group had come across was down to zero. It was worrying that they hadn't come across any new survivors, especially considering that finding people was their job. Against his own instincts, Aaron decided to expand the search into Richmond. A little further out than what they were used to but it was worth a shot.

Due to the greater distance, Eric had brought along two newcomers, Daisy and DeAngelo. Daisy was a Chinese woman in her mid-twenties and DeAngelo was a black man in his forties. They were Eric's friends and after being saved by him on several past treks, Aaron had grown to trust Eric's instincts. Even then, Aaron was a little worried about adding people into the group.

Then again, he was worried he made the wrong call in expanding the recruitment missions into Richmond.

Aaron stood watch outside the quartet's RV, trying his luck with the audio-catching device. He wanted to see if he could catch anyone having a conversation around their area. But so far, he had caught nothing. As he was doing this, Eric and Daisy were checking houses while DeAngelo waited inside the RV, in case they needed to drive away in a hurry. After hours of waiting, he had grown bored and joined Aaron.

DEANGELO: What's the verdict?

AARON: Caught nothing yet but I'm hopeful.

DEANGELO: Fair enough, Aaron. But just letting you know, if you haven't caught anything...maybe it's because-

AARON: No, don't even think that. Don't ever suggest that. There's still people out there. You just gotta have faith.

DEANGELO: Why should I?

AARON: Because you just should.

Aaron didn't have a clear answer. He was starting to lose faith as well but he knew, as their leader, that he couldn't afford to lose it. There had to be people out here. At this point, he didn't care if they were dangerous or not, he just wanted to know that there were still survivors.

Eric and Daisy came back. Eric was pushing a shopping cart filled with supplies looted from the houses. They began loading them in the RV but one of the boxes, he showed to Aaron.

ERIC: Snagged this from one of the more expensive-looking houses. Six bottles of Dominican Oaks Cabernet Napa, all from California. Surprised that no one took these. Oh well, it's ours now. We could open one up once we get back to Alexandria, what do you say?

Eric smiled at Aaron. Aaron weakly smiled back.

ERIC: What's wrong? You still worried we won't find anyone out here?

AARON: Sometimes, I wonder if you can read my mind.

ERIC: It's not like you're a complicated person. I figured you out even before we started dating.

Aaron laughed at that as Eric playfully patted Aaron on the back. Just then, the device Aaron was tinkering with began to go off. Aaron immediately tried tuning it to see if he could pinpoint where the audio was coming from.

As he did, a gunshot rang out, hitting the device. Aaron dropped it as several gunmen emerged from behind the houses, firing at the group.

Eric ran to the SUV they had also come with to grab his rifle. A window on the SUV was shot out by the sniper, almost hitting Eric. Just the sight of Eric in danger threw Aaron into a state of panic.

AARON: Eric, don't move! I'm coming for you!

ERIC: No, you're going to get yourself shot!

Aaron ran after Eric. As he did, another gunshot rang out, hitting Aaron on his left ankle. He screamed as he landed head first into the trunk of a derelict car. He was knocked out on impact.

(**Moments after being knocked out**)

Aaron's vision slowly returned to him as he came to his senses. He looked at his foot and much to his surprise, someone had made him a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. It still hurt but he was glad that he wouldn't bleed out on the ground.

Aaron shifted to see what was happening. As more of the mysterious hunters surrounded them, he saw a hooded woman blindfold and gag Eric and toss him into the back of a military truck. They did the same to Daisy and DeAngelo before one of the hunters came to him. Weakly, Aaron faced his captor.

AARON: Why...why...why didn't you just kill us?

HUNTER 1: We need you for...reasons. There's a group of people in northern Georgia that we trade with. We meet in a pit stop a few miles from here every time we make a trade. That's where we're headed. We give them people for whatever reason they want and they supply us with weapons and ammunition.

AARON: Who are these people?

HUNTER 1: Don't know and quite frankly, I don't want to find out. They're always asking for people and the fact that they need to keep asking for more scares me. But since you're so eager to know, they live in a place called Terminus. You'll be seeing it soon enough.

AARON: Why are you telling me this?

HUNTER 1 (laughs): Because it's not like you'll squeal to anyone. Besides...if what I hear about Terminus is true, you might not even be here for much longer.

At that, the hunter blindfolded and gagged Aaron and shoved him into the truck. Aaron could hear the engine of the truck turn on and just like that, they were on their way to Georgia. Hundreds of miles away from Alexandria. From home.

* * *

**Author's note: First up, sorry for the extremely late update. I was dealing with a lot of school stuff, internships, club stuff, etc. Basically, I've been busy since the first chapter. But I'm back, for now. Hopefully I can release content more consistently. **

**So yeah, character development for Gareth. There'll probably be more flashbacks for Gareth and the other characters, just letting you all know in advance. While the show did reveal part of Gareth's backstory, I do want to go into why his people became cannibals, which is what I'm trying to do with the flashbacks. Anyways, onto Daryl. **

**Since Daryl does not have the warm, loving Beth to bring him back from the darkness and the fact he has to deal with the Governor's former allies / new people, as you can see, Daryl will be taking a turn for the worse as the story goes on. Will he come back from the brink? Unfortunately, no promises on that. Besides, writing "Dark Daryl" is pretty fun and it is something I intend on exploring fully. That is, if he survives the shootout with Bob and Shepherd. **

**As for Rick, Beth, and Bob, the stalkers are a major factor in their storyline. Are they Terminus? Maybe, maybe not. Also, what are "they"? Time will tell. But I do have a lot in mind for this unlikely trio. **

**Last but not least, surprise, Aaron! I do read the comics so I was planning on introducing Aaron early. This is not because the show did it. **

**Anyways, onto the next chapter (once I complete it)! **

**Characters of focus in the next chapter: Tara, Sasha 2, Carl 2, and Glenn 2**


End file.
